Ok, so for the album pre-launch, I though I'd share with you my impressions of the new record, as I have been listening to it daily for about two weeks now, and was involved in pretty much every aspect of it (other than writing), recording, pre and post production, and eventually, its release as well.
It may appear slightly biased, as I have known the guys for 10 years now as a fan, and good 6-7 years as a personal friend.
From a fans point of view, initially what got me into WB was the cock rock attitude in the mid-late nineties, the controversy, the stage act, the outrageous lyrics, and the fact that almost every Friday, I was only meters away from what can arguably be described as by far the finest rock act this country has ever seen. Priceless memories for a rock fan.
I adopted them with Is It?, been with them through Never Ever, the demos and the pre-releases, through Rewind, the amazing record concept and its chart topping success; Tell Someone Who Cares, which never really got the attention it deserved at the time, and through some bad choice of radio singles, never really had a chance to shine commercially.
Hoekom and All The Hits featured some of their best work, previously unreleased to general public (Love Crash) and explored new markets, but never really managed to bring the old band back, the group of guys who so gracefully dominated the music scene in the late nineties, before the local record industry, with their rules and regulations, sponsorships and media friendly behavior guidelines got hold of them.
Enter City of Gold 2006….their seventh release, with an aim to do exactly that. It's completely independent. No more guidelines as to how to write the music they got accepted for in the first place. Remind those old school faithfuls why they got to like them in the beginning, and get the new breed of personality hungry teenagers recovering from their depression and "I know everything" induced hangovers educated in the art of rock….SA style. Of course, at the same time, it hopes to romance, evoke sentimental feelings, and add a new level of depth and maturity in a way that only WONDERboom knows how to do it.
The album sleeve is so full of credits its looking like a graphic novel, so I won't go through any of it now, just to say that most of the names on there with regards to production of this album are local heavy hitters, a collection of talent so good, it alone will make this album a collector's item.
If (and when) you decide to get yourself a copy….get two of them….one you lock in a safe, and one you listen to…until you can't listen to it anymore.
So, let's start, by inserting the cd in my over-priced, 5.1 surround sound system, as this is the only way to listen to it in my opinion, to fully experience and appreciate the art which is Cito's ability to layer melodies and write choruses, and Darryl Torr, Martin Frankish and Neal Snyman's mixing and mastering abilities, which are truly out of this world.
You have to do it at least once…rest of the time, listen to it in your car, in your parents' stereo, but once….at least once….lock yourself in a room with a badass audio system….and just let it go….and then you'll see.
IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE.
The album opener greets you with a guitar riff intro that not even John Frusciante (Red Hot Chilli Peppers) can match, its texture, raw energy, and a simple "holy motherfucker" effect is pure magic…Lucien Windrich knew about Schofield's talents early on, and truly allowed him to shine on this record. He is loud, he is raw, and he is mad…like a true Red Hush West Rand Rock Star should be…and is hard to be matched by anyone…musically as well as with overlying vocals… ….unless you're Cito…our own version of a true rock god…who is the only one currently able to stand straight against Rocka's untamed rawness in this combination.
And stand next to him does he manage to do….with a level of vocal maturity never before seen and experienced from a petite Latino/American/South African, Cito truly embraces his newfound range and vocal bravery and lets loose on this number in specific, and the record as a whole.
Lyrics are not just rhymes, they explain, they relate, they are experiences of their own nature, perfectly compacted into what I can only describe as the meanest rock album opener we have seen in recent past in South Africa. Can't wait to hear this live.
BEST SIDE.
Most of you would have heard it live already, as well as the acoustic version of it during recent pre-release radio interviews and tv shows, this song is mainly recognizable by Cito's ability to craft a chorus like no one else out there currently, Best Side is going to be the next big thing, a song whose melody and chorus will stay in your head from the first moment you hear it. I expect this to top the charts hopefully this summer, this song is good enough to stand against WB's classic such as "She Cries" and "Jafta Rebel", and wouldn't feel out of place if it was featured on Is It?, such is its presence, its texture, and its execution.
So far, this album is sounding pretty fucking good.
BRAIN.
Co written by Lucien and P.Isaacs, this is a perfect example of WB's ability to take any material thrown at them, and make it their own, this was clearly evident during Rewind, where they "adopted" another of Windrich's hits, turned it around, and made it a contemporary live hit across the nation. Brain is nowhere near as beaty and rocking as Shadows is…..this instead is a song you will listen to in your car on your way to work, on your way from work, when you need to relax and reflect, when you need to deal with a problem or a situation you may be going through, this, track number 3 sends the album's pace into a slower domain, slowly introducing you to what's coming next.
TAKE ME HOME.
This one needs no introduction. Already all over your local radio waves, Take Me Home is WB's take on the world events, and the way they're shaping our future. Not shy to say it like it is, Cito clearly explained to Barney Simon during a recent TV interview that he wrote this one to explain his dissatisfaction with the current foreign policy of the USA. If you didn't know better, Take Me Home would strike you as a lovely, happy, easy on the ear type of tune, which would always put you in a good mood. Schofield's guitar introduction melody is typical of his previous work on WB's albums, and is easily recognizable as a WB trademark style, before you even get to hear the first verse. It is only after you listen to it, and start paying attention to the lyrics….."He looks up into the sky, feels like he's gonna die" do you get the idea that this is a no-nonsense piece of music, made to hit you where it may hurt, whilst at the same time soothing the wound of a potential outrage with its melody and vocal control of a literally sad chorus.
My only complaint so far into the cd is that this song should not have been chosen as the first single, not because its not strong enough to represent the album, but due to its complexity and sentimentality to the guys, it will not have the opportunity of time to be accepted and understood for what it is.
CITY OF GOLD.
If you have never been to JHB, this song will tell you all about it. If you live in JHB, this song will bring a smile to your face. The album's title track, City of Gold starts you off on a Love Crash style guitar melody, totally unique, whilst at the same time, sooooo typically Wonderboom.
I was given an anonymous guitar loop some time back (2004) on a cd to listen to by Martin, just to show what him and Cito have been messing around with at the time, and I completely fell in love with it, listened to this 30 second clip about a billion times a day, in fact I still have that cd somewhere in the WB's vaults. Lost but not forgotten. I asked Martin many times as to what had happened to it, but never really got a concrete answer out of him, it felt like this awesome piece of work was destined for the bin.
Fast Forward to 2006, and imagine my surprise whilst checking in with the guys at RP studios to see how its going, to hear that exact melody (albeit more refined, and recorded in a proper studio environment), looking over to Martin, and him looking back at me, saying "There you go". It just happened that this was the song they were working on for that whole day, so I had to listen to it over and over and over again, but I never got tired of it.
If you heard it for the first time, and had no idea who it was, you would think that it was Lenny Kravitz singing about something he wrote….such is the diversity of Cito's vocal range, and this "pick me up and let's get a drink" song is a beautiful, lounge like example of it.
The same way Smile Pantsula clearly described South African urban culture back in its day, COG does the same in 2006…same city, same people….completely different energy and atmosphere. It's a great piece of music, capped off by a choir-like arrangement during the final chorus and is currently my favorite track on this album.
LOOSE END.
An interesting one, this tune was originally written by Lucien for Lucien, about his experience with the boys after the GBOB triumph in the UK. It has since of course been reworked to suit Cito's style, but the essence of it remains intact. It details his experience at the Halfmoon in Putney, where Lucien had to entertain the crowd for solid three hours while everyone waited for Cito, who was delayed in arriving to the venue on time. This was their next gig in London, after the big performance at the London Astoria, and expectations were high. A very personal track, this song is full of substance, stories, and in my opinion will be analyzed and over-analyzed by WB faithfuls for years to come.
FIREBALL.
The album's pace picks up again at this point, with a hard rocking, heavy intro riff tune, which is guaranteed to pick up any live venue and turn right on its head. Fireball is a typical WB rocker, and was one of the tracks on this album which inspired the cover art. A highlight on this one is the second half, as Martin picks up the tempo with a bit of solo work which just has to be imagined and experienced in a live environment, although it sounds pretty good in this studio recording as well.
NICE TRY.
In my mind, this song can be visualized in the following way: Cito in his theatre gear, on a dimly lit stage, doing a monologue piece between himself and the audience…accompanied by a deep, pulsating, sexual Williams trademark bass line, (if you are a girl, at this point you need to go and find a big speaker, turn it on its side…and sit on it….and then start this song again) until all hell breaks loose….a chorus which is so sudden, so strong, so powerful, which can only be described as a musical piece straight out of Broadway, before it settles down again, this time Cito being joined on stage by the rest of the cast, singing the "Give him another chance" line, almost like a religious chant…..down to dark….sudden chorus….down again….this song is so disjointed by your modern pop music standards that it explodes with passion and raw energy, and is capped off by Schofield letting loose during the last chorus…..fade to black.
LOVESTRUCK.
Most of you are familiar with this one already, as the band have been playing it live for some time now, also another song which I had the pleasure of hearing before it got into the studio, while it was still a sketch in Cito's head. Another rocker, but a lot more sedate than the others, Lovestruck was happy and short until it got into the studio….there Lucien took it apart, told Martin to let go one afternoon, the results of which can be heard during the last chorus…..and then….it brings us the nicest ending of a song we have heard from these guys in the last 10 years….on the cd it is labeled as track 6, but is in reality the end of track 5, a melodic, take me home type scenario, fading away gently….this track is labeled as e'LOOP (as in e'VOID), a visual nod to Lucien, and is a simply sounding, but complex in structure piece, building up in layers, beat after beat, acoustic, then electric, then acoustic again…..you don't want it to end….ever.
Which brings me to my second complaint….this piece is far too short….it ends just as you begin to get into it…which at the end of the day may not be a bad thing, as I can picture myself closing my eyes to enjoy it….while I'm driving….so its good that it ends when it does.
COME ON.
Every album needs one. Well, every WB album does at least. On Is It? We had "BANG", on Never Ever we had two of them, "Something Wrong" and "Never Ever", on Hoekom we had "Engel" and on All the Hits we had "Turning"…..yup, the power ballad, and now we have this one. Never been a big fan of these, but WB are so good at writing them, and the success of Something Wrong and Never Ever testifies to this. Come On is a combination of all of those, starting off like Something Wrong, and picking up towards the end like Turning does, with its own distinct signature, ensuring that WB do not disappoint their ballad faithfuls across the nation.
WAITED SO LONG.
If you have all of WB's releases, this song's guitar work will remind you of She Cries, Waited So Long is a country style ballad, without the harmonica in the foreground this time, which however does appear later on, accompanied by a guitar solo so gentle it should have been accompanied with an all teenage school girls choir singing in the background. But we all know that the recording would have gotten nowhere if we had an all girls' choir in the studio.
An easy listening, easy going, well written song, this one unfortunately ends this album, prematurely in my opinion, as you want it to continue, to go on, these 12 tracks are so well arranged and produced, that it feels like one continuous track, which leaves you with only one option…..
To hit repeat, park off…light one up….and do it all again…keep the second copy safely locked up in the safe, as City of Gold is worth having more than one copy of.
Words: WONDERboy
www.wonderboom.co.za